Carbon pile regulator



Se t. 24, 1935. A; J. 5. BROWN ET AL 2,015,468

CARBON FILE REGULATOR Filed Oct. 4, 1954 26 29 @,/JOZ 27 4105' 5.4 1 p 4:i' O 25 I 22 5 0 11 Patented Sept. 24, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEcannon PILE REGULATOR Arthur James Stephen Brown, Bromley, and AubreyLaurence Ash, .Thorpe Bay, England, assignors to J. Stone 85 CompanyLimited, Deptford, England, a corporation of Great Britain ApplicationOctober 4, 1934, Serial No. 746,898 In Great Britain July 28, 1933 7Claims.

tions and the like.

For certain purposes in such installations, it is desirable to controlone factor in two different ways, or in dependence upon two differentfactors, at different stages of the regulation process. In particular,for battery charging purposes, it may be desired to charge the batteryinitially under current control, e. g. at constant current, andsubsequently under voltage control, e. g. at constant voltage. With sucha charging process, complete reconditioning of the battery can beeffected in the minimum period feasible without overloading thegenerator, and the danger of detrimental effects due to over-charging,sulphation and so forth can be largely avoided. The principal object ofthe present invention is to provide a simple and reliable carbon pileregulator which permits of the exercise of such a double control,especially for the purposes just mentioned.

One embodiment of the invention by way of example will now be more fullydescribed with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:--

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the regulator partly in section,

Figure 2 is a verticalsection thereof, and

Figure 3 a circuit diagram.

The regulator illustrated comprises two electromagnetic units mountedback to back with their back-plates I integral with a common frame IOI.A carbon pile resistance is mounted between said units upon a plate I02secured to the frame I 0|, said resistance thus forming a separatelyremovable and replaceable unit. The magnet and spring systems of theunits may advantageously be of either of the types described in thespecifications of United States patent application of Alfred H. Chilton,Serial No. 683,557, filed August 3, 1933, and United States patent toAlfred H. Chilton, No. 1,963,825, dated June 19, 1934. In the exampleillustrated, the magnet and spring systems are of the type described inPa ent No. 1,963,825. Essentially the magnet ystems comprise magnets 2 2carrying windmgs 3 3", and spindles 6 I5 upon which rotors I I aremounted to rock between the poles of said magnets. The spring systems,which are matched with their respective magnet systems, comprise tensionsprings 32 32 connected by flexible tapes 33 to segmental discs I0 I0fast on the spindles I3 6 adjustment means 35 and 36 being provided forsetting the initial spring tension and rate respectively. Movement ofthe discs I6 I6 is damped by similarly disposed dash-pots one of whichis shown at 31 and 5 limited by co-acting stop-means 39, 40. The pileunit comprises a crank I1 pivotally connected at I8 to a push rod I9which acts through a compression plate 20 upon the carbon pile 2|. Atits upper end the pile bears against an abut- 10 ment plate 22 having anupward extension 23 which is pivotally connected at 24 to an anchorage25.- This anchorage is mounted in a forward extension I03 f the plateI02 and can be vertically adjusted and locked by a knurled nut 15 21 andlock nut 28 engaging a threaded stem on said anchorage. The arrangementof the pile itself is thus essentially similar to the arrangementadopted in the above mentioned specifications.

For the purposes of the present invention, however, the crank I'I, withwhich is connected a lever I3, is mounted upon a ball-bearing on aseparate spindle 14 located between the aligned spindles 6 It of themagnet systems and sep- 25 arately supported in forward extensions I04from the plate I02. Connected to the lever I3 isa tension spring I5which is adjustably anchored at I05 and serves to maintain the pile 2|under an initial compression which is kept practically 30 constantdespite wear in the pile. Mounted peripherally upon the discs I6 and I6of the units are fingers I6 I6 extending horizontally to pointsunderneath the end of the lever I3 which has spaced abutment surfaces'I'I each engage- 35 able by an adjustable abutment I8 on one of saidfingers. The regulator is set so that in the initial or inoperativecondition the abutments I0 are both just out of contact with thesurfaces TL 40 For the above mentioned case of batterycharging underdual control, the winding 3 of one unit is excited by or proportionatelyto the dynamo output current and the other 3 by the charging voltage(Figure 3) through a tempera- 5 ture compensating resistance I06. Thepile 2| is disposed in series with the field I01 of the dynamo I08 fromwhich the battery I09 is charged. Upon commencing to charge a dischargedbattery, the lattertends to take a rela- 50 tively large current at alow voltage. The effect of the large current in the winding 3 causes therotor I to be attracted and to bring the finger I0 into contact with thelever I3, thereby rocking the latter in the directionfor decom- 55 thusthe current output of the dynamo.

pressing the pile 2|. The resultant increase of the pile resistancereduces the excitation and Y suitable design of the magnet system 3 1the charging current can by this means be kept substantially constant.Meanwhile the charging voltage on the winding 3" is too low to causeattraction of the rotor I so that, in this initial stage, the chargingis solely under current control.

As charging proceeds, however, the charging voltage eventually reaches avalue at which the rotor 1 is attracted, causing the finger 16' toovertake the lever 13 and momentarily to assist the finger 16 indecompressing the pile M. The resultant additional increase ofresistance of said pile at once acts to reduce the charging current, sothat the said other finger tends to drop away from the lever 13. Ascharging proceeds, this eflect is accentuated and the subsequentcharging is completed solely under voltage control. The point at whichthe control is changed may be set to suit requirements but willgenerally be set for a comparatively advanced stage in the chargingprocess.

- I! it is desired to increase the charging current to the batteryduring the initial part of the period of charging under substantiallycurrent control (when the charging voltage is lowest), thecurrent-controlled unit may carry, in addition to the winding 3, a smallproportion of turns excited proportionally to the battery voltage.

We claim:

1. Electro-magnetic regulator adapted for reg ulatlng in diii'erent waysat diil'erent stages of the regulation, comprising a single carbon-pileresistance, two magnet systems having independent excitation windingsand independent ro tors, spring systems respectively connected with thesaid rotors and matched with and opposing the said magnet systems, andindependent pres-v sure-controlling means for the said resistance eachoperatively connected with one oi the said rotors and each engageable,one at a time, with said carbon-pile resistance for the sole control ofthe said resistance over one stage of the regulation.

2. Electra-magnetic regulator adapted for regulating under current andvoltage control I respectively at diiierent stages of the regulation,

resistance for the sole control of the said carbon pile over itsrespective stage of the regulation.

3. Electro-magnetic regulator, comprising two independent magnet systemshaving rotatable rotors each having a spindle, said spindles being inalignment with each other, a single carbonpilc disposed between the saidmagnet systems, spring systems operatively connected to the said rotorspindles, and independent pile-controlling members operatively connectedto respective rotor-spindles and adapted for acting upon the pileindependently of each other.

4. Electro-magnetie regulator, comprising two independent magnet systemshaving rockable rotors, a common carbon pile, a common pile-controllinglevermounted independently of the said rotors, and pile controllingfingers operatively connected to respective rotors and eachindependently engageable with the said lever for exercising sole controlof the said pile.

5. Electro-magnetic regulator, comprising two independent magnet-systemshaving rockable rotors, spring systems acting upon the said rotors, acarbon pile, pile-controlling means operatively connected to respectiverotors and engageable, one at a time, with the said pile for the solecontrol thereof over a range of operations. and separate spring meansacting upon the said pile for maintaining it under initial compression.

6. In a regulator device, a resistance element variable undercompression, a pivoted member, a compression member acting at an end ofsaid element, and a link interconnecting an end of said pivoted memberand said compression memher, a pair of electro-magnets, a pair ofindependently rotatable shafts, an armature for each magnet secured toeach of said shafts, lateral extensions secured to said" pivoted memberadjacent its end opposite said link, an arm on one of said shafts and asecond arm on the other of said shafts, said arms being movable toengage said lateral extensions as said shafts rotate, a spring acting onone of said armatures, a second spring acting on the other of saidarmatures, said springs tending to rotate said shafts in a direction tomove said arms out of engagement with said lateral extensions, saidshafts being rotatable independently to bring either of said arms intoengagement with its respective lateral extension upon energization ofeither of said magnets to decompress said pile to a degree dependentupon the degree of energization of one of said magnets alone.

7. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein said springs are matchedwith their respective magnets so that said armatures move in response tocritical values of excitation of their respective magnets.

A. J. BROWN. A. L. ASH.

